Kids Awareness Series

How do we as Americans respond to child abuse? A new study by Prevent Child Abuse America reveals a very alarming trend of how Americans respond to child abuse.

As surprising as this is, three out of ten Americans have witnessed a child being physically abused and two out of three have witnessed a child being emotionally abused. Yet nearly half of these individuals failed to respond in any way to the incident that occurred. This is according to a study that was released to Child Abuse America. What research is showing us is that most Americans fail to respond when they witness abuse in a public place because they do not know what to do.

So how can we respond to child abuse or neglect in a public place.

1.) We can start a conversation with the adult in order to direct attention away from the child. A good suggestion could be, “My child sometimes acts just like that when we go somewhere.”
2.) Look for an opportunity to praise the child or parent. This diffuses the situation and provides something positive into the situation.
3.) Avoid making a negative remark or look, this only adds fuel to an already bad situation.
4.) If the child is in imminent danger, then by all means find someone to help you. Do not try to diffuse a situation by yourself. That could be dangerous for you.
5.) Talk to the child and take an interest in something about them. For example, remark on how pretty or handsome they look or remark about something about their appearance. Most kids respond to praise in this manner.

The worst thing that a person can do when they witness abuse or neglect is to do nothing and just walk away. Even if you don’t want to “get involved”, the very least that should be done is to notify someone in a store where you observed the incident. In order for abuse to stop, everyone must get involved even if it makes them uncomfortable. Don’t turn a “blind eye” to abuse, this only exacerbates an already prevalent problem in the United States.